Game Informer

The core game shows its age in some notable ways, but there’s no mistaking the magic that made this formula work all those years ago is still very much intact.

The Incident at Galley House constantly made me reevaluate my theories and approach, and several big twists spurred my search for answers throughout many late-night sessions. Sadly, I found the conclusion to be a mixed bag. The story purposely withholds the biggest explanation I’d been searching for while still offering enough significant ancillary explanations to avoid falling completely flat. It’s an artistic choice that may resonate with some, but after so many hours of searching and concocting numerous wild theories, I wanted a more concrete answer than what the game provides. Still, I had a blast figuring out the fates of these doomed souls, and I’d wager any puzzle or adventure game fan will too.

Though Splatoon’s single-player content has always been underappreciated, Splatoon Raiders makes it impossible to ignore, shining a bright light on the series’ oft-slept-on side.

I have a soft spot for goofy physics-based co-op games in general, but Heave Ho 2 was a hit no matter who I put it in front of. Its wacky exterior is supported by a solid core of great controls and smart level design. Not all of its gambles pay off, but I'm fine accepting a little jank in an otherwise jolly experience.

Denshattack is weird as hell, and it leans into its strange premise with earned confidence, constantly building and layering on its ideas throughout. It avoids any whiffs of boredom by ripping through environments at full speed, but that also didn’t give me much time to take it all in and immerse myself in the admittedly absurd world. When you’re too busy having fun by avoiding every potential crash along the way, though, maybe that proves stopping and smelling the roses is overrated.

The Mermaid Mask is the best Detective Grimoire adventure yet. Its art, music, voice cast, and puzzle design are all worthy of praise, but they're held together by a great story and a fun script, complete with all the quips and twists I've come to expect from SFB's mystery series. I spent my entire playthrough engrossed and engaged, and I hope the development team gets to make plenty more sequels.

On the field, CFB27 dazzles. I never tired of running down The Hill in Clemson Memorial Stadium, the pyrotechnics lighting the night sky and a swarm of drones tracing a Tiger above a distant jumbotron. Sudden rain and snowstorms constantly made fourth-quarter bouts more epic. And celebrating with my guys after running back an interception was arguably more cathartic than watching the real thing. Nevertheless, the off-the-field issues, namely, shallow progression systems and the transformative inclusion of microtransactions in practically every mode, were disappointing. CFB27 made some fantastic key plays down the stretch in its junior season, but the team will need to make more improvements in the offseason if it wants to hoist that championship trophy next year.

For me, a lot of the joy and excitement of Assassin’s Creed comes from visiting a new era in history and rediscovering the series’ conflict through the lens of that time and place. This return to a familiar locale lacks that, but it should still offer it for newer players who never experienced the game more than a decade ago. But even without that sense of newness, Black Flag Resynced is an impressive rework, setting a high bar for how to return to an older action game and make it relevant once more. I’d prefer to sail to new horizons, but I’m also happy to rediscover a journey that reminds me why I embraced the franchise in the first place.

Rhythm Heaven Groove is not my favorite in the franchise, but it makes me just as happy, proud, anxious, and angry as all the previous games in the series.

UFC 6’s incremental gameplay improvements and bewildering stagnation fly in the face of the fact that it’s been three years since the last entry in the series. With annualized sports franchises, you almost expect iterative innovations year after year, but after such a long wait, I expected a bigger bump with UFC 6. The improved character models, graphics, and fighter distinctions are welcome improvements, but when almost everything else feels so familiar or inessential, I can’t help but wonder if EA Sports’ UFC franchise has experienced too much time uncontested at the top.